The Awesome Elephants of Kuala Gandah

Last Saturday we did one of those things that has been on my To Do list for a while - a day trip to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary.  Run by the Forestry Department, the sanctuary is part of a national elephant rehabilitation and translocation effort that rescues elephants from areas where they are threatened or a threat to humans and relocates them to forest reserves.

Of course, the main reason this place even exists is because we keep cutting down the forests and turning them into palm oil plantations.  With their severely shrunken habitats, wild elephants often end up ravaging the palm oil estates for food.

I have to say, I came away impressed.  As Malaysians, I think most of us will admit that we generally have low expectations when it comes to locally-run establishments, especially when they are government-owned and operated.  But in the past few years, there have been a few gems that have left me pleasantly surprised and this was one of them.

Apart from having pretty well-kept grounds, which is a challenge in itself given the rather large sizes of its inhabitants, the place is also staffed with people who genuinely seemed to love their charges.  The info center, for those who care to take time and read their exhibits, tell you a fair bit about these amazing creatures.

For instance, did you know that elephants are a matriarchal breed?  And that they mourn their dead, often stopping while on a trek at places where their loved ones have passed away?  These are creatures with long lives and long memories, which I suppose is why the saying "Elephants never forget."

The thing you won't find out while at the center, is the wonderful work really done there.  I wish they had a bit more information about the work they actually do, which, thanks to our source on the trip, Rakesh, turns out to be an awful lot.  The elephants in Kuala Gandah are either being rehabilitated or trained as working elephants.  By the latter, it means they are taught to aid in the capture of wild elephants, especially when the latter cannot be tranquilised due to their health conditions or other extraneous circumstances.  In such cases, trained elephants together with their mahouts ride through the jungle until they are alongside the wild elephant target, hemming it in on both sides and leading it to safety.  The mahout's job is a dangerous one - imagine riding atop an elephant crashing through the jungle at full speed.  Injury, needless to say, is a sure thing.

Yet, these brave men and their elephants persevere, saving more than 300 elephants to date.

If you haven't visited, do go.  It's one of the few things we do right.  And it's absolutely free of charge, which I personally think is outrageous - the experience alone deserves an admission fee.  So, do give a donation instead, as the center can always use the funds.

From A Distance

Managed to capture some shots of the island and its surroundings one a flight once. Thought I'd share it with all of you - especially those who have never been to Langkawi.

And if you're living in Malaysia - what the heck are you waiting for lah?

This is Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Maiden) where the famous lake with the same name is located.

Because Blogger is such a pain when it comes to uploading photos, do oin our Facebook Page - La Pari-Pari to see the rest and our other albums.

Tiga Langkawi Turns One

This is a long overdue post (almost a month to be exact!)  and my apologies to Jeff and Nas for not doing this sooner!

If you ever make your way on the windy road to The Datai, you will pass by the Temurun Waterfalls. If you're in luck, you'll glimpse a rather over-sized, glowing number 3 across the road from the falls.

Congratulations, you have found Tiga Langkawi - a lunchtime treat for those journeying far off the touristy Cenang beach strip. Started by Jeff and Nas, Tiga Langkawi offers yummy fare that is in limited supply - on

ce they run out for the day, that's it! And I am told they run out pretty quickly, thanks to Nas' magic in the kitchen.

The hensem Nas! (We didn't have Jeff's pic!)

We first met Jeff and Nas on an evening out in Langkawi and were immediately intrigued by their description of the restaurant wedged between a waterfall and the ocean. The next afternoon, we ventured out in search of them and we weren't disappointed.

Although the restaurant was closed for renovations at the time, we spent a lovely evening hanging out with the guys and their lovely dogs, watching the evening grow darker as

the waves lapped at our feet on a deserted pebble beach.

In early October, Tiga Langkawi celebrated its first birthday and we were invited! Woo hoo! The food was amazing and the company even better. We met Langkawi residents and those like us who would someday like to call the island home, including Dawn who is a regular on our Facebook fan page.

Aida fashions some Oakleys out of her dinner spoons

More and more, we realise that Langkawi is actually a haven for transplants from everywhere, especially KL. Nas for example, shuttles between the island and KL where he has another business. Other folks we've met just decided to do what we aspire - pack up and leave the city hustle for the island life. I guess that makes us not so unusual after all :-)

So the next time you're on the island and in search of a tasty lunch, try going off the beaten path a little, and discover the magic of Tiga Langkawi. The food's great and the company's even better :-) Unfortunately, my camera didn't end up capturing very nice photos. So if you'd like to see more, just look up Tiga Langkawi on Facebook :-)

Aida, Eric and I attempt a Charlie's Angels pose :-)

Of Beyonce, a Kerbau and some other updates

My apologies for being so delinquent with the blog posts of late. Combination of work and sheer laziness on some days. That and the added distraction of Beyonce, our English Bulldog who joined our household a couple of months back.

Work on La Pari-Pari has been chugging along, albeit at a slightly slower pace due to the recent Ramadhan and Hari Raya festivities. Thankfully things have picked back up. Sometimes I look back and I can't believe we've reached the point we're at already. Seems like only yesterday we were still hunting for a suitable piece of land.

Yet there are days when things can't seem to happen fast enough :-)

In early October, we finally began the process of submitting our plans to the town planning authority for approval. We thought it would take a while, as things have a way of doing, before they would even get to our case. Surprisingly, they've already come back with some initial feedback which may require us to make some changes. In a way, it's good news. It means someone's looking at our file! (I know, ain't it sad that in Malaysia the benchmark is whether someone even knows you exist in their mountain of paperwork....)

The other big development is that we are exploring a change in construction strategy. From the start, our resort was meant to be a brick-and-mortar deal. But there has always been a lingering concern as to whether we could get the quality of finish and durability we wanted with our limited budget. Plus, the skill level of local labour has always been questionable, judging from the quality of many buildings on Langkawi.

Of course, if we had a trillion dollars, it wouldn't be a problem! :-)

But of late, we've been exploring a new possibility. Ijam, through Mr Chan (of Bu House fame) is now looking at constructing La Pari-Pari out of timber and cement boards, in much the same way houses in the West are built. I guess for those of you who are familiar with Langkawi, it would be akin to how the Burau Bay cabanas were built. Although with today's materials, the results should be a lot better.

The main appeal to us where this method is concerned is the reusability of the materials. If for some reason, we decided to tear down the structures one day, the wooden beams are recyclable. Which is a lot more than can be said with brick and mortar. Plus, this way there would be little need for a concrete foundation, which translates into structures that sit lighter within their environments.

So all's well that ends well, I hope. There are some of you who have asked why we have not pursued the route of using wood completely, a la Malay kampung houses. The answer is - it's too expensive ;-) Plus, we do feel that kampung-style resorts are so over-done, especially in Langkawi. The island doesn't need yet another one, n'est-ce pas?

In other news (and this is just to give you a feel for the little vagaries we deal with in our quest): After our walkthrough of the site once it was pegged, a kerbau has since traipsed in and made compost of our wooden pegs and strings LOL! Ah well. I guess he had a few ideas of his own how La Pari-Pari should look :-)

Next: our recent trip to celebrate Tiga Langkawi's birthday.

Meanwhile, here's a snippet of our Beyonce, whose concert will NOT be cancelled :-) Click here.

Bu House

Aida wins hands down when it comes to uncovering gems off the beaten path in Langkawi.

The latest one she's shared with us is Bu House - the home of a man whose passion for bamboo has led to his creation of the Langkawi Carbon Exchange project. Tucked away in a hidden pocket of villages, Bu House is a sprawling homestead whose simplicity veils the important work that is being done there.

The founder, a Mr Chan, is a rotund fellow who didn't hesitate to welcome us onto his grounds and generously spent an afternoon telling us about his various projects. The one that caught our attention was his carbon exchange project which involves both Langkawi villagers and big businesses from around the world.

The idea is a simple one. Sell carbon credits to big businesses who need to pay penance for their pollutant ways by planting bamboo on local village land. The big businesses win and so do the Langkawi kampung folk. Apparently business is so good, Mr Chan can't keep up with the demand!

And the local folk who participate in the programme? Mr Chan tells the tale of how years ago, when the programme began, he only managed to persuade the local menfolk to permit the planting of a handful of bamboo thickets on their respective pieces of land. Now, several years later, some of these old folk have passed on, and their wives upon finding out how lucrative the bamboo have become, berate their late husbands for not allowing Mr Chan to plant more on their plots!

Judging from the figures Mr Chan shared with us, I can certainly understand why. A bamboo thicket nets the land owner about RM1,000 from the programme a year. All for doing nothing except allowing the bamboo to exist on one's plot of land, as all maintenance and culling is done by Mr Chan's team free-of-charge. An acre of land can host up to 270 bamboo thickets.

Anim did the math and almost decided against building La Pari-Pari! :-)

The money aside, we were very heartened to meet Mr Chan. Here's someone who has pursued a passion of his and not only made it pay off, but also figured a way to spread the wealth around. Now that's sustainable business practice.

Oh and the best part of visiting Mr Chan? We also got free reign to wander around his grounds which houses ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, a very playful dog and a clutch of goats from various parts of the world. One of them was even in the midst of giving birth when we were there and another was busy tending to her two-day old kid. It doesn't get more special than that.

To view photos, visit La Pari-Pari's Facebook page.

The Company Secretary

So few acknowledge the backroom folks of their businesses. We thought we'd take some time to give some snaps to our favourite founding member.

This is our Company Secretary. Her name is Athena. Ijam has also proclaimed her his KL girlfriend whenever he comes to visit. We suspect it's because when he stays over at our house (yes we believe in keeping a close eye on him LOL!) he sleeps on the futon in our den - also christened by him as Athena's bed.

Whether or not we have meetings with Ijam face-to-face or on the phone, Athena attends all of them faithfully (unless of course we're in Langkawi -then, she's boarded at Camp David with the rest of the doggies and busy sulking...)

5 minutes before meetings begin.... (note the anticipation on face)

Rapt attention mid-way through an architectural debate...

In deep thought.

She will claim she is overworked.

Hopefully you will all get to meet her when La Pari-Pari opens.

At any rate, we have listened to her complaints and got her an assistant.

But I have my suspicions at 5 months Beyonce has already been quickly influenced by her superior!

Walking Through La Pari-Pari

A few weekends back we went to Langkawi once more for a milestone visit. Finally, after months of waiting, we picked up our land title from the lawyer! It's officially ours now!! We also visited the site once again where Ijam had the footprints of the various buildings pegged - marked with wooden pegs and raffia string.

La Pari-Pari's entrance and office

So we literally "walked" through La Pari-Pari for the first time :-) We checked out rooms, the distance between various structures, and unanimously declared the swimming pool too small! LOL!

Since then we've discovered that our original target for funding, the SME Bank, has run out of funds for the particular loan we were targetting. Apparently, due to the high number of loan defaulters, the bank no longer has money to disburse for tourism. Of course this can change if defaulters pay up or the Government provides additional funding following the next National Budget in October.

Meanwhile, we're busy exploring other avenues for funding, limited as they may seem at the moment. The fact is, there is little by way of financial support given in this country to start-up SMEs like us who may have good ideas but no company track records. And we are in no way alone.

But, as usual, there are people out there with ears to the ground for us, trying to help us in their own ways. So fingers crossed, if we find other avenues, we will still be seeking funding by the end of this year.

All the same, work continues. The design of La Pari-Pari is close to final, with us already in the third round of interior concepts for the rooms. We're even in the midst of finalising our logo! By end of August, we will have submitted our drawings to the planning authorities, with an ultimate view to converting the site's status from agricultural to commercial.

So, things are moving, albeit at a gradual pace. Although, as I've often said to Anim, I believe every apparent setback has its reason, often times if not for anything but to force us to pause and consider our next step. And many a time this has resulted in a better, more improved version of La Pari-Pari emerging from our respite.

Meet Imah!

Say hello to Imah Salleh!

Imah is someone we've known for a number of years now. We first met her when she worked at our friend's restaurant.

I am constantly amazed at the confluence of coincidences that seem to surround La Pari Pari.

Imah comes with years of experience in the hospitality industry, predominantly in the food & beverage sector. So naturally, when we thought about people we knew on whom we could turn to for advice, especially on the operational aspects of running a resort, we thought of Imah.

The funny thing is, two years or so ago, Imah took a hiatus from Kuala Lumpur. Her "sabbatical" was in Bali, working with a company that provides internet booking services and website development for several resorts in Bali.

So now, she's become a resource on whom we depend for insights for the sales aspect of the business too!

Who knows - with any luck, maybe we can entice her to join us once La Pari Pari opens. I seem to think she's look smashing in a bikini and a pair of wings on Cenang Beach, no?

Green Fairy alert: The Real Magic Behind Frangipani

On Aida's suggestion during our last trip to Langkawi, we went to Frangipani Resort for a special little tour. I think this one's a bit of a well-kept secret, but if you're interested in sustainable living, be sure to put this on your list of To Do's the next time you are on the island.

Although Frangipani is already famous on the island for its eco-friendly practices, few know the real extent of their efforts on this front. But for a mere RM5, you can get a tour of their back-of-house along with a guide who will tell you all about the resort's already impressive progress in running their business along sustainable principles.

Here's the tip of the iceberg:

Old bottles and plastic containers are re-purposed as lampshades.

They've even got their own wetlands, where the grey water (water from the sewers) is channelled to fertilise a corn patch with the most GIANT corn plants I have ever seen, then into a pond where it is filtered again via water plants until it emerges clean on the other side of the pond.

The filtration pond where grey water emerges clean!

Their backyard houses free range ducks and chickens who were busy either lolling about under shrubs, taking a dip in the cooling pond or just clucking and quacking their way round the garden when we visited. The hens really have a sweet deal though - their henhouse for laying eggs is a repurposed spa hut! These ladies sure live in style.

There's more - organic rice grown in old bathtubs, a salt water swimming pool, rain-water collection, sponsor-a-tree programmes for guests, and the list goes on.

But don't let me tell you all the secrets - go see them for your self. Hopefully it will inspire you to also think about how you can incorporate some of those practices at home :-)

La Pari-Pari : Where We Are

Some of you have been asking about progress on La Pari-Pari. Some of you even think that it is already under construction.

The truth is we're only in the early stages of La Pari-Pari's lifecycle folks. It takes (as we have found out) a lot longer to build a resort from scratch than it does to set up a shop in a mall. After all, we have to build our "shop" from scratch.

So here's where we are now, exactly:

Scene from one of our face-to-face

meetings in Ijam's apartment.

The last six months and change have been spent deep in design. La Pari-Pari was drawn and brought to paper life mainly across phone and Internet lines, with Ijam and us periodically meeting face-to-face in between. And even then, meetings have been far less than formal :-) Perhaps it's an indication of our life to come on the island?

My sister Karen, the other initial partner-in-crime who started

this whole thing. And yes, this IS a meeting!

It's been interesting for me - seeing how a business is built from scratch - as I've never been a true-blue entrepreneur before. I've always worked for people. So now, when I read about other entrepreneurs talking about how their business empires began at kitchen tables and in dining rooms, I completely get it. They literally mean what they say. I know we do, when we say that ours was given birth on tables in two different locations 45-mins flight apart.

Now that design of the resort's structure is done, it's on to interiors. Here's where I get to take out my proverbial box of crayons and have some fun!

Also on the cards are dealing with the quantity surveyor, contractors, engineers, etc, etc, etc - all just to get the documents ready for submission to the land office!

And this is BEFORE we even go to the banks for money :-)

With some luck and a lot of pushing, in about a month we should know what La Pari-Pari not only looks like from the outside but the inside too. And, we will have a logo!

Then, some time in September, we will go knocking on bank doors for the funding. If any of you can point us in the right direction, do holler!

A Few Good Fairies

It may be months away from Christmas still, but we thought it might be nice to acknowledge a few good fairies who have been extremely helpful in providing us with some useful information and pointers.

Oprah has a famous saying, "You already have everything you need." With friends like ours, it is certainly proving to be true :-)

Sheliza Shahadan very kindly introduced us to the owners of Tanamera - a 100% Malaysian-born and owned brand of beautiful personal care and spa products made from natural ingredients. I spent a very pleasant afternoon chatting with one of the brand's founders, (who incidentally are a brother-sister team) at their office deep in Kampung Subang. It's the kind of place you just wouldn't call work, since it is set in a village and the aroma of gorgeous herbs being milled on the grounds hits you the minute you step out of your car.

Apart from containing natural ingredients, Tanamera products also don't contain some of the environmentally-damaging ingredients present in most commercial shampoos and cleansers. Plus, their plastic packaging is recyclable, and they were more than happy to explore the possibility of supplying us products in larger batches for dispensers.

If you haven't checked out their products already, do so. They also have spas around the Klang Valley.

The folks at my office (yes, we still have to find a way to pay the bills until La Pari-Pari is built) discovered a new retail outlet called Body Bar in Tropicana Mall. The owner, Michelle is a lovely lady who used to work in the technology industry. Now she's pursuing her passion for all things natural with her retail brand whose tagline is "If it's not good enough to eat, it's not good enough for your skin!"

Her products are sourced from around the world and she certainly is passionate about her quest to encourage more people to use ecofriendly, natural goods. In fact, this young lady even has an edible garden growing on her home balcony!

I couldn't resist playing with all the lovely products at the shop's bar - and yes, they really do have one. So much so I ended up going home with one of their products - an amazing facial cleanser that is made using a recipe African women have apparently used for years to bathe newborn babies. I swear by it now.

Both these companies are shining examples of how Malaysian businesses are waking up to the profitable benefits of doing business the green way. And, the more I dig into the subject, the more it becomes apparent to me that skin and personal care products in particular should be green. After all, as Michelle said to me, the skin is the largest organ on our bodies. Yet, we do little to ensure that the stuff we put on it isn't poisonous.

Makes a whole lot of sense to me. Now to get Anim to crunch the numbers and ensure we can get green products on La Pari-Pari's bathroom shelves.

Putting A Face To The Name

Gosh I just realised it's been ages since we've put up a proper blog post!

Sorry folks, it wasn't for lack of work.

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic.  After some two or so months, we have finalised the design of La Pari-Pari's architectural structure.  Translated it means we now know what it really looks like :-)  

Getting there was a slightly windy road, guided of course by Ijam, whose patience is greatly appreciated - especially when attempting to explain the orientation of drawings via phone to directionally-challenged moi!  And yes, most of our meetings have been via teleconference due to the fact that Ijam resides in Langkawi.  I don't know if anyone else builds resorts this way, but we certainly designed most of it remotely!

I am happy to report that if everything goes to plan, every room will have its own private courtyard and a shower that opens out into the garden.  We have even included one guest room that is purpose-built for wheelchair-bound guests - complete with wider doors and lower sinks, etc.

Last week we had a three-day face-to-face with Ijam to nail down the final details of our building structures and also take him on a mini-whirlwind tour of eateries we like in KL, just to give him some ideas for interior design.

Next week he will be back in town for a few days, hopefully so we can get started on the interior and landscaping.  Then, fingers crossed, we will be ready to seek funding in August once all the documentation is complete!

So things are moving along at a steady clip.  The architecture is just one part of the puzzle.  There's other things we've also been doing, like trying to meet potential suppliers of eco-friendly cleaning and personal care products (and believe me, they ARE hard to find), persuading someone to run our restaurant for us, and even exploring the possibility of building our resort using a prefabricated method!

The list is endless.  But we're happy with progress and are excited as we count the weeks till submission to the banks.

Thanks for staying the course with us.  We'll get there - and with your support, with huge smiles on our faces :-)  All your comments and encouragement have certainly helped us already. So if you have any thoughts, keep them coming!

Giving Back To Nature

L-R: Aida, Karen and Anim 

It's always nice to give back.

On our last visit to Langkawi, Aida and her friend Wendy (also a nature guide) roped us in on a mangrove replanting excursion they had organised.

The coast along Kuala Muda had been cleared some years back for some reason we're all not quite sure of - whether it was for a development that didn't take off, or the construction of a breakwater.  Suffice to say, the flats at low tide had become quite devoid of vegetation which is never a good thing.

So Wendy and Aida, being the good citizens of the island that they truly are, recently started replanting the mangroves in the area independently.  Wendy, who often leads groups on tours through the mangrove, started collecting the rhizomes that are often found floating on the water's surface at a certain time of year.  Those were the seedling we then replanted on to the Kuala Muda coast.

It turned out to be an all-girl affair, with Wendy and Aida leading the way and the rest of us straggling along in tow.  Even Ijam's eight-year-old daughter Nena (of the 99 Luftballoons fame) joined in, along with Fazilah, the very enthusiastic new transplant to Langkawi who wo-mans the Malaysian Nature Society office which has just opened on the island.

The planting proved very easy, with us just having to stick the little rhizomes into the very soft muddy seabed at low tide.

Naturally, I got into trouble, sinking up to my knees in mud and getting stuck for a good few alarming seconds.  All very hilarious, especially with some of us trying to reassure ourselves the mud was very good for our skin!

Nature being what it is, we were rewarded with a huge rainbow after a short drizzle of rain at the very end of our planting. 

Hopefully, those little fellas will survive the wind and tides to grow big and strong for our children's children to enjoy.

Next time you're on vacation to Langkawi, perhaps you too can think about doing something to give back?

This Land Is Our Land...

The future site of La Pari-Pari

FINALLY, it's ours!

Two weekends ago, we went once again to Langkawi to make the final payment for the land on which La Pari-Pari will sit. 

 The deed itself was without incident, thanks to the man who sold us the land and the lawyer who very kindly accompanied us to the land office for the actual signing of documents.  Otherwise, I am told, the whole thing would have taken much longer, with me being passed from one counter to another while the land office folks take turns to go on tea breaks.  OK I made that last bit up, but that certainly was the impression I got when I was there.  The man who had to witness my thumbprinting of the land grant had just come from his tea break when I got there.  And as soon as we turned the car out of the parking lot there he was, waltzing across the tarmac back to the canteen...

We also had a great meeting with Ijam who has been going full steam these last few weeks on the design.  All I can say is that it's coming along nicely and at a healthy clip.  Designs for the chalet and our house are certainly in good order.  Now there's only the reception and bar to get cracking on!

The Number Cruncher

Meet Anim - the other half of La Pari Pari's management team.

She's the one who crunches the numbers and has been instrumental in helping me understand and believe that we are capable of building La Pari Pari.

I don't have a head for figures. I also have a terrible sense of direction.  So much so that for my fortieth birthday, I bought myself a GPS device for my car.

But I digress.

The whole point of this post was to talk about opposites.

Anim and I could not be more different in our viewpoints, backgrounds, perspectives and training.  I am a marketing and communications person.  I know how to sell things.  She, on the other hand, comes from a finance background and has worked with several small businesses over the years.  She's seen the realities of having to balance the books and ensuring that you always have more than enough in your kitty to pay the staff and vendors.

I write stories.  She reads stories voraciously.

I like nice things.  She tends to sway towards the simpler aspects of life in most ways.

I think long-term.  She's into the details.

I'm chatty.  She's quiet.

And together, I actually think we make a pretty good pair when it comes to work.  Of course, there's tension, especially when someone like me who is more verbally-oriented tries to talk to someone whose brain immediately translates everything into figures.  You should hear us arguing.  It's like a chicken and duck talking!

But we've learned to laugh about it.  Really.  I think that's super important.

Besides, I'm scared of her big, orange calculator....

Bridges To Cross

There's little to really show, in tangible terms, when you're in the initial stages of a project like La Pari Pari.  But, as I am beginning to realise, the beginning is a critical juncture, where the thinking is consolidated and foundational elements need to be captured to ensure that the end result comes as close as possible to what we have in mind.

Here's a quick peek at some of the bridges we are and will have to cross in the coming weeks:

One of the things we've had to grapple with in the last couple of weeks has been budgets.  From what we are seeing, there will be a need to scale back a little on our ideal, and make some decisions as to what is commercially viable versus what isn't.  The good news is, we can still realise the dream.  We just may have to change bits and pieces to fit the accounts.

We've also started a La Pari Pari Facebook fan page, for those of you who are users of the site.  Todate, in barely a month, it's already garnered close to 200 fans!  We are currently using that site to help our friends and supporters stay connected and also to test ideas for La Pari Pari.

Today, we got an inquiry from Peter Tan about disability access, prompting us to ensure that the resort will have facilities that enable people of all shapes, sizes, forms and challenges to enjoy it.  Thank you Peter for your thoughts.  We're really grateful for feedback like this that helps us think of ways in which we can ultimately better serve our customers once we open.

Our development plans are proceeding very nicely.  Last night we met with our architect to view the first round of drawings that roughly estimated the positions of various building elements within the property. Now that's done, Ijam is proceeding with designing the guest rooms!  Even at this early stage, the conversation has been very encouraging, with good ideas surfacing from everyone that I think will result in a property that is both functionally practical and pleasing to the eye.

So hopefully, in two months' time, we will have some initial sketches to share with you!

We've also discovered, after mapping the trees on the property, that we have a really fascinating mix of vegetation already thriving on La Pari Pari.  There's a good number of trees that are over 40 feet in height.  According to Aida's estimation, some of these are actually rainforest trees that have perhaps been re-planted on our property by previous owners.  Owing to the fact that they do not have the advantage of shade on our property (unlike in the rainforest), they are a little smaller than they would typically be in their natural habitat.  But they are pretty all the same.  There's also a cashew tree and a variety of tea tree bushes plus loads of other plants we are still trying to identify.

The interesting conundrum all this presents is:  with all the shade, do we have enough sunlight to power our outdoors using solar energy?

Have a fantastic weekend y'all!

Silver Linings

View from La Pari Pari's backyard - those are paddy fields behind the white tree

Several people have remarked at the boldness of our attempt to break away from our established lives and start a completely new one in a different place and different industry than the ones in which we both currently work.

Sure, there have been times we've wondered whether this apparently mammoth task is too huge for us to handle.  Things have appeared daunting in moments.

Take for example, the issue of (again), money.  I think by now everyone knows the turmoil our financial markets have been in for a good oh, six or nine months, depending on how far back you feel it all started tumbling down.  For a start-up company, this can sometimes mean certain death.  

As a first-time entrepreneur with no track record, the one thing you rely on for your initial cache of cash for capital is your own.  A year ago, according to our calculations, we had more than enough to fund the necessary things that needed to be put in place before we go to the financial institutions to get a loan for the construction of La Pari Pari.  Money for the purchase of a piece of land, money to hire an architect to help us design the resort, money for a land surveyor, etc, etc, etc.

But as of six months ago, half of it disappeared along with the dizzy descent of our financial markets.  

It left us with an interesting conundrum, at the very least.  Where were we going to get the additional resources to bankroll our project?  After all, we couldn't go to the bank with merely a business plan and no visual depiction of the dream we wanted to build.  Unlike other things, a resort is sold largely on its visual appeal and of course, over time, its service.

In retrospect, I think that was when we faced our first real big hurdle as business owners.  And I am sure, it won't be the last time.

Thankfully, after months of thinking laterally and being just darned tenacious, along with some interim help from Dad (yes, even he's been roped in), we managed to more than scrape through.

In less than two weeks, we will be off to Langkawi to make our final payment for the land on which La Pari Pari will sit.  This is a big deal in terms of our project's progression.  Once we initiate the transfer of the land title to our name, we begin the process of converting the land's status from agricultural to commercial, allowing us to then build on it.

Without all that, we can't go to the banks and ask them for money to build La Pari Pari!

So, the lessons for us have been:

1. If you look hard enough, you'll find a way out of a jam.

2. In fact, if you persevere enough, it'll probably serve as your best tool for getting your self out of the crack you've fallen into

3. Prayer, and a supportive Daddy go a long way :-)

La Pari Pari's First Gift!

This month, I turned the BIG 4-0, which, as my friend who have crossed that hurdle before me say, is the new 20.

At the rate my life is going, I am inclined to believe it.  After all, aren't I the one who purposely decided to turn her life upside down by pursuing a dream?

Along with the well wishes and the lovely deluge of messages that I received via e-mail, on the phone and Facebook, I also had the opportunity to indulge in my favourite past time over my birthday weekend - spending time with people I really love.

And, La Pari Pari got its first gift!

For my birthday present, my long-time friend and extended family member Anne Foenander decided to gift me her services for creating La Pari Pari's webmercials.  Since we anticipate that most of our bookings will come via the web, knowing the target segment we are pursuing for the resort, webmercials will be crucial to our marketing efforts.  

Although there won't be a webmercial for La Pari Pari until much closer to our opening day, this still means a burden has been lifted off our shoulders :-)

Thank you Anne, for your wonderful gift.

Here's a taste of the magic Anne can do!

Dreaming La Pari Pari

Some of you have asked us, naturally, what La Pari Pari will be like.  Rustic?  Tropical? Modern?

Today we came one step closer to determining the answer.  After many months of discussions and visioning, talking things over and bouncing ideas off walls and ceilings and floors, the design brief for La Pari Pari has finally been completed.

So we do have an idea of what we're after.  But what eventually emerges is something that we are leaving open to our architect to explore, and we hope, pleasantly surprise us.

In the meantime, just to get a taste of the visions we hve in our head, here are two resorts we love.

La Banane is a stylish little resort (it only has nine rooms) on the island of St Bart's.  

A long distance away from Langkawi but close to our hearts as a source of inspiration for the intimate and very accessible feel we want to achieve with La Pari Pari.  

La Banane is modern yet not ultra hip in the way some design-oriented properties are - you know the kind, all metal and glass and concrete and cold.  It's somewhere you can feel comfortable lounging around in your shorts or in your swimmies by the pool, yet it still feels more luxurious than home because let's face it, who wants to go on a vacation only to feel like they're still in their own backyard.

Plus, seeing that La Banane is a well patronised location even though it isn't beachfront, we think it is a great benchmark for La Pari Pari which will also be a short walk away from sea and surf.

The only thing we would add for consideration in designing La Pari Pari is our inclination to ensure some element of local context is added to the design.  But not in that "kampung house knock-off" kind of way.  Something a lot more subtle - a swash of colour or texture, an ornament, even images on walls perhaps.

Hotel Azucar

As contrast, there's also Hotel Azucar on the coast of Veracruz, Mexico.  This twenty-room resort is all about quirky charm - something that ensures it will sustain its uniqueness for years to come.

It sits within its environment comfortably, a reflection and tribute to the sugar trade that has framed the history of its locale.  It's the heart behind its design intent that we admire - how its soul is expressed in the place and use of local materials, even driftwood!

So there you have it - a sneak peek into the images that have been floating around in our heads for over a year now.

With a visit from the creative muses and some small ingenuity, hopefully La Pari Pari will measure up to these two places we love, but of course in its own individually unique Malaysian way.

Isn't this all so exciting?

Swimming, Naturally

One of the things highest on my list of "What I'll Miss" once I move to Langkawi is fresh water.

Being on an island means that access to fresh water swimming locations is slim.  In fact, unless you count the various waterfalls and watering holes on the tourist map, the options are close to

 zero.

For someone who is used to flowing rivers and isolated spots along a river bend for a picnic or a quiet sunlit snooze, this is a big one not to have.

So I've begun searching for the next best thing - the possibility of constructing a natural swimming pool on La Pari Pari's grounds.  It fits with our conservationist goals and has the potential to look amazing.  Not to mention it doesn't wreck a girl's hair or make her sensitive eyes turn blood red.

Having done a bit of webtrawling on the subject, I don't see how we can't have one.  We have to have one.  What's there not to want??

I think the only place I have heard of in Malaysia that has this sort of pool is a luxury condominium in Kuala Lumpur.  

So what do you think?  Fancy taking a dip in a less than conventional pool?

Unwanted guests

Here's a new one for us urbanites buying land in Langkawi.

We received a report from the land surveyor over the weekend and discovered that our neighbour has actually eaten up a sizable portion of our property!

When we first saw the land, we were aware that the next door neighbour had taken the liberty to fence up a portion of our land as part of his garden. No matter, at the most perhaps it was a few feet.

But judging from the sketch done by the surveyor, it's a lot more than that!

This is a long-standing issue in places like Langkawi, where land often times has been handed down through the generations and split up between siblings and relatives. Sometimes, a person builds on a piece of land without the proper survey markings done, resulting in said person actually trespassing on other people's land.

From the looks of it, our neighbour will not only have to move his fence back, but also demolish part of his house.

The good news is, the person who built the structure is apparently a squatter. And the real owner of the adjoining property (whose land the house is mostly built on) is also trying to evict him.

I can't imagine having to do that in KL - it would be tantamount to asking someone to leave my garden!

Oh well. Lessons learned.

Bollywood Veggies!

A friend of mine pointed me to this site today. I didn't even know they had space for farms in Singapore!

Bollywood Veggies is such a charming idea I am amazed there aren't more like it here in Malaysia where we really do have the space, and you don't have to be a millionaire to get 10 acres of land.

They use organic fertilizers and I believe also have an "eco-toilet".

I was talking to my sister a few weeks back about possible businesses she could look into if she were to move to Langkawi. The idea of a farm, IMHO, is still not a bad one. If purpose built well enough, it can double as a tourist attraction and a source for food supply - reducing the carbon footprint of foodstuff that now typically travels from the mainland.

Building To Last

Last night, for Earth Hour, we turned off all the lights and fans in my parents' house.  Dinner was by candlelight - a feast prepared by the loving hands of Mom and her enthusiasm for a new grilled, butterflied leg of lamb.

The nephews and nieces played in the semi-darkness, the TV off for a change.  Noise was from ambient chatter and the sound of children laughing as they raced toy trains on a double track.

From the start, our intention with our little resort in Langkawi was to create something sustainable.  Something that would leave the lightest possible imprint, or at least endeavour to do so, on Langkawi island.

La Pari-Pari, named after the Malay word for "fairy", will, when it opens, be a magical place.  Built from the ground up with heart, and a goal to incorporate as many ecological conservationist measures as we can.

Already, in our discussions with the architect and between the two of us, ideas have surfaced.

Solar lighting for the outdoors at night, to save electricity.

Rain water catchment pipes, to help irrigate the landscape.

An organically-fertilised outdoors, with edible plants and hopefully fruit that will adron our breakfast table.

A linen reusage policy, perhaps with rewards to incentivise our guests to join in and help us in our efforts to save water.

And if we can, a small contribution from our profits each year to a local cause nominated by our staff and chosen by our guests.

In looking for ways to green La Pari-Pari, we've uncovered some information.  Yet some others still remain unsolved.  How do we find a commercially viable solution for cleaning materials?  Often, ecological cleaning solutions are expensive, mostly imported.  And how do we ensure guests turn off their air-conditioners when they leave their rooms?

More importantly, how do we create a space that makes sense to the community and environment in which it sits?  Building a building is easy.  But building one that makes commercial sense and acts as a catalyst for something greater, something longer lasting, takes time, thought and deliberation.

But, as I've always said, if we don't do it, who will?

Money, Money, Money

Money is such a complex thing, especially when you're trying to figure out how to get more than you have.

Last night, over dinner, we were talking to a couple of friends about our Langkawi project and the conversation turned inevitably to the question of money.  Anim, Pari-Pari's Ms. Moneypenny has, over the last few months become quite the expert, having spent hours braving traffic jams and patiently waiting for bank officers to come back from their tea breaks and prayer breaks, medical leave and goodness knows what else can cause absence from their posts.  

And what we have discovered, in our naivete, is this:  if you need money, chances are, there is a way to get it.

Malaysians are a funny lot.  Many of us are disgruntled citizens, always moaning about the wastage of our taxpayers' money, the bloat of Government coffers and those of the corrupt.  Yet, many of us have actually done little to try and get hold of some of that funding ourselves, including Anim and me.

Until now.

We've decided that since our tax dollars are already going to unscrupulous hands, we might as well get our hands on some - so we can use it the right way.

This is, as I was telling my Mom this afternoon, how we fight back at the system.  

On one of her recent visits, Anim met with a Government officer who generously dispensed advice on how we could apply for matching grants to help us get up and running.  And he said, "You know, 89 per cent of those applying for these grants are Chinese.  The Malays, they're just too lazy!"

Apparently, even the exercise of obtaining three quotes from one's supplier is considered too much of a hassle for some of our Melayupreneurs to bother!

How la, to do business like that???

This reminds me of an incident that happened about a week and a half ago.  At 7:45 am on a mid-week morning, 15 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, I got an SMS.

"Ms Karina, this is Pakcik Mokhtar, the man who showed you the piece of land you bought.  Congratulations on your purchase, but I also know you're actually a land broker your self and have since sold the land to someone else."

Five minutes later, another SMS came from him: "You should give me some commission, since I was the one who originally showed you that plot."

It amazes me how people seem to think money is something that should be given in return for zero effort.  I've always had to work for every cent, so I don't understand this mentality.  Even if I was a land broker in this instance, I hardly owed the man anything, since the land already belonged to me.

In the end, we contacted our lawyer who advised us to just sit tight.  But not before I had got out the wrong side of bed a little too early for my liking and spewed out curses for the next three hours.

It's a wonder Athena, our live-in Boxer hasn't tried running away from her Evil Mommy yet.

Off The Beaten Path

Contrary to popular belief, there is a lot to do in Langkawi.  You just have to be a bit adventurous.

Unlike its more commercialised neighbours - Bali, Phukat, Koh Samui - Langkawi is almost like a half-kept secret that people only talk about quietly or escape to when they don't want a high-fidelity vacation.  Even during peak season, you can still find a decent spot of sand on Chenang.  The streets never get as crowded as Patong or Kuta.  The tour touts are not aggressive nor do they hound you in numbers.  While there are no masseurs or manicurists at your beck and call on the beach, there also is an absence of other vendors.  OK, once in a while you get one or two strolling by, pareos spread out for sale.  But nowhere near the swarm you are confronted with on the main beaches of Thailand and Indonesia.

Neither is Langkawi small.  I believe it's actually bigger than Singapore!

The best thing to do when there is to rent some form of transport - motorised or not - and take some time to explore the island, even if it means driving along its coast.  From the airport and Chenang you can take the windy, scenic road that passes the Naval base and leads to Kuah town.  On a clear day, the bay almost looks like San Francisco - dotted with white sails and embraced by the hills of smaller islands.

On the other side, there is Tanjung Rhu and the upscale end of the island, where hotels like the Datai and Four Seasons lay claim to the sand.

But the point is to just enjoy the journey.  Notice how the terrain changes as you go from one part of the island to another.  Laugh at the monkeys you will inevitably encounter.  And when you tire of going round, go inwards, towards the rubber plantations and paddy fields, along the windy little kampung paths.  That's where the locals really live.  That, to me, is the heart of the island, the part that I hope never gets overtaken by modernity and keeps the island anchored at a leisurely pace.

If you really must know....

This is WHY.

Since telling friends and family about Pari-Pari, we've often encountered these questions.

Here, once and for all, are our answers.

Why Langkawi?

Because it's an island.  Because it's not as touristy as Phuket or Bali, plus it's Malaysian and we're Malaysian.  And it's not as rustic as our other resort islands.

And more importantly, Karina can live there.  There's Starbucks when I need it and a Body Shop for my girly fixes.  You don't get that on Tioman.

But are you sure?

YES!  YES YES YES!

In fact, we can't think of a reason NOT to go.  What's there not to love?  24-seven access to sun, sea and surf, no traffic jams, lovely paddy fields for evening bike rides right at our door step, and all without having to forego the comfort of broadband!

But aren't you two going to miss Kuala Lumpur?

OK, we admit, we're not exactly kampung girls.  But neither are we uber-urban types who NEED to go clubbing every weekend or visit a mall.

Infact, I don't like malls.  My favourite mall is the one a stone's throw away from my house, and it ain't exactly Pavilion.

We know we will miss our friends and family.  But we figure that Langkawi is a nice enough place for them to consider visiting once in a while.  Plus, KL really is only a 45-minute flight away.

You know running a resort is hard work....

Yes we know.  We are fully aware that we will have to make beds, mop floors, bartend, play receptionist, bellboy, housekeeping, etc despite our plans to hire staff.  There will be days when we will want to throw up our hands in despair.  

But there will also be days - and we hope these far outnumber the mad ones - where we will be able to sit quietly on our back porch and listen to the island settle down for the evening.  The changeover from day to nocturnal animals and insects.  The turn of sky from bright blue to gold and then black. Without having to deal with smog and the constant buzz of traffic.

But it will be HARD work!

Personally speaking, I think it's worth it.  After all, we get to be our own bosses.  We get to build something from scratch and know that when, not if, it succeeds, it will all be entirely our own doing.

Plus, it means we will hopefully never, never have to sit in long meetings with 25 people discussing something that doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of life anymore.

So there you have it :-)  Now, you know!

Drawing Up Plans

For a couple of urbanites who only have the experience of renovating one home between them, the prospect of building a whole resort is, to say the very least, a daunting one.   Neither of us knew any architects (or at least not personally) who were within reach. 

But like everything else to do with this project, we cast our nets hopefully.  And as the universe would have it, several architects emerged.

The first, Azrina, was someone we had met by chance and is coincidentally the daughter of a family friend.  We were lucky to have met her then.  She was patient in her explanations, and tolerant of our Architecture 101 questions.  She helped us get our first glimpse of what was in store.  Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of her.

Then, we met David through who else but Aida.  We loved David at first sight.  He's now a friend and will be attempting to conquer Mount Kinabalu with us in June.  But that's another story altogether.

Meantime, I decided to take a stab at letting the winds of fortune do some work for me and left a few postings on Facebook.  Wherever there was a Langkawi group, I posted a note indicating my interest to set up business on the island.  Soon, someone contacted me.  And a few months plus a couple meetings later, he is now our architect and project manager.

Meet Ijam - although this isn't a very good photograph of him (He's the one in the center).  Architect, sailor, informer extraordinaire, Daddy of Nena, our favourite Langkawi resident under 10, and all-round trove of interesting information about the island.  By a stroke of luck or maybe fate, Ijam, who resided in Perlis when we first got to know him, has moved to Langkawi and is setting up his architecture practice on the island.  He was a natural choice for us, as it means having someone there on site once construction begins.

We are now commencing our monthly project meetings with him.  The first took place on January 2, 2009 at his home in Langkawi.  The second was at our home over a whole Sunday in February.  Our discussions stretched long into the night, even pulling in my sister, Karen into the fray.  We visioned and dreamed, and talked about our individual ideas for what Pari-Pari will be.

And I must say, I love what I've already heard.

A Piece Of Magic

Our search for a plot of fairy magic ended quite by chance.

One evening in October, after months of searching, I sat in our Klang Valley home, surfing the net on the slim chance I would uncover a glimmer of hope that would lead to the fabled acre or so of earth we were looking for.

At that point, both Anim and I knew we needed a place that was not too far away from the madding crowds yet just enough to build a quiet sanctuary for people who wanted to rest their spirits.  As large as Langkawi is, the tourist trade is largely concentrated around the Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah vicinities, where most of the accommodation and facilities were centered.  

Just then, I saw an ad for a land broker and proceeded, over the next few weeks, to contact him and make arrangements to view the plots he had for sale.

November finally rolled around, almost a year to the day my sister and I first set out to the island, baby in tow.  This time we were accompanied by Graham, the husband of a friend of mine.

On the first day, we were taken to see a beautiful little piece of land situated in a paddy field across the road from the famed Bon Ton resort.  The view there was spectacular, a 360-degree panorama that afforded different things to catch the eye at every angle.  One side looked out to the sea and distant sunset.  Another was braced by the ragged peaks of the MatChinchang range, crested with the white structures of the Langkawi cable car.  Behind and beyond stretched green fields of paddy ringed with more hills.

But, it was too small.

Over the next 36 hours or so, we drove around the island, Graham patiently in tow, to continue our search.  In between, Langkawi-style, we detoured to get acquainted with a charming Pakcik who proceeded to invite us to his home for a mug of buffalo milk.  And that was AFTER he gave us a tour of the buffalo farm where we found this fella!

Then, on the second afternoon, the Pakcik who had shown us the paddy field plot rang.  He found a plot we "just had to see" and he sounded excited.  A little while later, we found ourselvesstanding on the little kampung slip road that bordered the first plot we had ever been shown months ago - the odd, triangular slip of land that we had written off on account of the unusable space.  Our hearts sank.

Turning to him, we told him we had seen this plot before.  

Then he said, "No, the one I want to show you is here!" And he pointed across the road to a piece of land we hadn't actually noticed before.  Immediately, I knew our search was over.  It was perfectly located, relatively flat and as a bonus, had full-grown trees!

It didn't take us long to ring our requisite "Island Consultants" - Aida and our architect Ijam - to tell them.  Sooner rather than later, everyone who needed to see it did and gave us the thumbs up.

The only problem was the asking price was too high.  So we attempted to negotiate with Pakcik Number One - the man who had shown us the land.  Boy, we had no idea the kind of ride we were in for.

In urban Klang Valley, purchasing property is a relatively straight-forward affair.  You like something, most probably found it through an agent, agree on a price and off you go.  Not in Langkawi.  Over the next month after finding our desired plot, we were nudged along from one Pakcik to another, all claiming to be the relative of the land owner and authorised to negotiate the land price on his behalf.  Each pakcik we spoke to offered a lower price.  The brokerage tier ran about five or six deep.

In the end, tired, we went back to the land broker who had introduced us to Pakcik Number One.  Not surprisingly, he had no idea about the plot. But, kind soul that he is, he did us a favour.  That's one thing you realise quickly on the island.  For every person that's out to get you, at least two or three are willing to watch your back, even if you're nothing more than a stranger who just happens to be nice and gives them the time of day.  True story.

Bahad the broker, feeling bad for us two silly city girls, contacted his Grand Vizier of all Earthly matters who turned out to be none other than Pak Man.  Of course the old man knew who owned the land.  It belonged to a Chinese towkay who had bought it at an auction.

With Pak Man's help, we got in touch with the actual land owner and by New Year's Eve, were on our way to see him and close the deal.  Fairies in Langkawi don't always come in the shape of tiny winged creatures, but they're definitely there alright.

Island Faces

Now, one year and some months down the road since we started our attempt to move to Langkawi, it almost seems as if we partially live there already.  So much so that we come back to KL with anecdotes of the people we've met, befriended and woven into our life memories.

Our first contact point on the island was our friend Aida. Someone we had only briefly known in KL through a mutual pal.  She moved to Langkawi a few months before my sister and I first went out there to investigate the inn for sale from the Classifieds.  Today she is a Langkawi resident and a naturalist by profession.  

A passionate environmentalist, I also suspect she's caught the bug and will someday look for her own plot of land on the island.  The more the merrier, I say. Plus, it's always nice to begin life in a new place where you already have a friend.

This is Pak Man, who someone once referred to as the Jinn Tanah, on account of his ability to broker land deals.  He was the first land broker we met in Langkawi.  A fiesty old fella, who doesn't hesitate to climb a hill just to check out the view from its best vantage point.  Thanks to him, several of our visits gave us decent workouts!  And be warned - often times I had to resort to makeshift hiking poles of deadwood while he skipped along ahead of us in his flip-flops.  He also introduced us to the famous Langkawi Ikan Bakar shop where the locals mostly go for their fix of Malay rice and fish grilled a la minute.

We first met Pak Man during the historical March 8, 2008 elections and he had plenty to say on the subject of politics.  If our leaders in their ivory towers think they can get away with hoodwinking the grassroots, I'd suggest they talk to him.  Maybe then they would realise that we Malaysians don't suffer fools gladly.

Although in later months we broadened our search to other land brokers, Pak Man unwittingly became a crucial factor in us securing our eventual plot of land - even though he didn't broker the deal.  Maybe it's the way things work in small communities like an island - everything revolves in concentric circles so that you often find that your new starting point is almost exactly where you began in the first place.

This lady is who I want to be when I grow up!  I believe she is already well into her seventies, but she is such a delight. 

We had arranged to meet her at the plot of land she wanted to sell - a good three-acres set among a vast expanse of paddy fields.  It's hard not to fall in love with the sight of paddy fields at harvest time.  Patch after endless patch of lively green stalks, heads bowed from the weight of rice ready for reaping, swaying like uncertain toddlers every time the breeze tousled their leaves.

The minute we met Makcik, I knew Anim would buy her plot of land if she had cash to spare.  The lady alighted from her ride - a noisy, little motorbike driven by her seemingly underaged grandson or grand nephew (one never knows the specifics) - with the agility of a teenager and the certainty of someone who intended to continue living for a long while yet - despite what the universe may have in store for her, thank you very much.

Later, we found out she was a well-recognised figure around Langkawi.  It turned out she actually had her own motorbike, and would have rode it to our meeting had it not been out of petrol.  Her only concession to modernity was to wear a helmet while riding.  But she didn't bother with a driving licence.  By her calculations, she was too old for the policemen to be stopping her for no reason.

Meeting Makcik made me a little melancholy.  Here was a local resident who had a valuable asset to sell and limited means to do so.  The reality is that a fair number of land deals on the island are being increasingly transacted with foreigners - most looking to retire on Langkawi or make it their holiday home.  But without the ability to converse with them in English, locals like Makcik are at the mercy of multiple land brokers whose layers sometimes can run up to five or six deep, leaving the land owner with a lot less once commissions had been paid.

I have heard that the situation in other more developed islands like Bali is very bad.  To the point where locals are harrassed by land brokers to give up their land for not-so-pretty pennies.  As a result, local Balinese are moving further and further inland, pushing them farther off from the economically lucrative tourist trade.

I hope this doesn't happen in our own Langkawi.  The more I frequent the island, the more I see how we can stop what is happening in Bali and Phuket to Langkawi.  But it will take Malaysians with a conscience to exercise some self-discipline in ensuring that while we improve the commercial viability of the island, we also do it responsibly, with least negative impact on its residents - be they human or flora and fauna.

It's not someone else's job to preserve the gifts we have.  It's ours.